Fighting Fate
by NikkiB1973
Summary: Bella always knew the vision she had on the mountaintop after her epic kiss with Jacob would come true. Just not in the way she had expected...set six years after Eclipse. Very AU!
**Fighting Fate**

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

 _ **A/N-quick back story, this is set six years after Eclipse. Breaking Dawn never happened. Jacob is twenty two and Bella is twenty four. Charlie knows all about the wolves. Bella chose to stay with Jacob after their kiss on the mountaintop during the newborn battle. They have been married for four years….set in an AU of course!**_

 **Miracles Indeed**

Jacob rubbed Bella's lower back as she leaned forward and gripped the bedrail with both hands. Her knuckles turned white from the pressure. She groaned and clenched her teeth as her body shuddered under the force of her labour pains. Nothing had prepared her for this. All the birthing classes she had attended, all the breathing exercises she had practised were useless. Bella was struggling to even remain upright. She had tried lying down but that only made the pain worse. "Fuck this. Where's Sue?" She snapped at Jacob.

"She coming, honey." Jacob stroked her sweaty hair away from her forehead. Her skin was coated in perspiration. "Do you want to walk about a bit? Maybe that will help."

Lasers shot from Bella's eyes as she twisted her head and glared at him fiercely. "Walk about? I can barely breathe, dammit."

 _Well you seem to have enough breath left to yell?_ Jacob thought to himself wryly as he rubbed her back again. He knew better than to say the words aloud though. This was Bella's first pregnancy and he knew how nervous and scared she was. It hadn't helped that all the other women in the pack had sailed through their pregnancies. Emily and Kim seemed to glow while carrying the newest additions to the pack. Bella not so much! Months of morning sickness that never seemed to go away and constant heartburn had taken its toll on her. She was now thinner than she had been before she had fallen pregnant. The only swollen part of her was her huge abdomen which looked as if there was more than one baby in there, but according to the scans, Bella was carrying one big healthy boy.

"This is your fault!" Bella snarled as another gut wrenching pain surged through her.

"I know." Jacob kept his tone light. It wasn't worth arguing.

"It's you and your freaky wolf genes." Bella gasped and clenched her teeth again before continuing her rant. "I bet he's gonna come out howling."

"Like his mom?" Jacob couldn't help teasing her. This only earned him another killer glare. "Sorry, honey."

"You will be sorry when I dig my nails in your hand. I've been growing them especially." Bella darted a triumphant glance toward her perfectly shaped nails. They were like talons. Leah Clearwater had shaped them especially the day before in readiness.

Jacob stared at them too and winced. He continued to rub Bella's lower back in soothing circles. "Why do you think I'm staying behind you, Bells?"

Finally the front door opened and Sue's cheery greeting rang through the house. "It's only me. Where's the baby mamma?"

Through her pain filled haze Bella heard Billy and her father, Charlie, greeting Sue. Both men were hiding out in the front room. They'd already had a tongue lashing from Bella earlier when her waters had broken. Their unhelpful advice along with Billy's old tales about how Jacob's ancestors had given birth while still going about their everyday tasks had driven her over the edge. So what if the ancient Quileute women could hunt, sow and cook whilst giving birth? Those old stories had to have been written by men!

Sue breezed into the bedroom and quickly assessed the situation. Bella was still bent forward gripping the headrest for dear life. Jacob was urging her to breathe properly just like they'd been taught. Sue rolled her eyes. If Jacob kept that up he would aggravate Bella so much she would come after him with a tire iron, pregnant or not. "Now make room, Jake." Sue shoved past him and edged him to one side. She peered at Bella's flushed face. The poor girl looked exhausted. "Sweetheart, I need you to lie down now so I can check baby's progress, okay." She turned to Jacob and ordered him to prop some pillows up on the bed to make Bella more comfortable. It always proved a good distraction to give the father's to be something to do. It made them feel important and got them out of Sue's hair while she got on with her job. She barked more orders at Jacob and got him running around doing unnecessary tasks to keep him occupied.

"Isn't he here yet?" Billy's voice floated into the room as he hovered in the doorway. Charlie was looking over his friend's shoulder and peering at his daughter anxiously. "What's taking so long? When Jake was born he popped out within seconds."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IS HE HERE YET?" Bella screeched. Sue was ducked down between her parted legs as she examined the baby's progress. "GET THE FUCK OUT."

"Dad!" Jacob hissed as he blocked the older men's view of his angry wife. "What are you doing?"

"Is Bells okay?" Charlie was wearing a worried frown. He tried to peer around Jacob's large body but failed. "Perhaps I should go in and hold her hand. That would help wouldn't it? I missed Bella's birth." He lamented mournfully.

"Holding Bella's hand is my job I think." Jacob ushered the two men back down the hallway. "Now can you just stay out of the way, please?"

"In the old days the women never made a fuss like this. Back when Ephraim's offspring were born going right back to Taha Aki's time they…." Jacob shut the door in his father's face before he could wax lyrical about the hardy women of old. "How rude is that?" Billy muttered irritably. Jacob heard the squeal of the tires on his father's wheelchair along with the heavy tread of Charlie's boots on the wood as they headed back to the front room. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to Bella.

* * *

"He's coming…he's coming." Sue said excitedly. "I can see his head. One more push, sweetheart. Just one more…."

Bella gritted her teeth and dug her nails viciously into Jacob's palm. She let out one last blood curdling scream filled with profanities and, with a gush of fluid and a loud pop, the new arrival made his way into the world. Sue quickly eased the precious bundle out while signalling for the new father to cut the cord. Jacob's face was a picture of awe as he followed Sue's instructions carefully and snipped the cord, finally separating his son from his wife. Bella tried to raise her head and see her son as Sue quickly scooped him up and put the newborn infant in Bella's arms.

Even though she was covered in sweat and absolutely exhausted Bella felt on top of the world. She gazed down at her newborn son with love mixed with anxiety. He was finally here in her arms. _She was a mother!_ Jacob perched on the bed beside her and slipped an arm across her shoulders. Bella rested her head against him as she watched him become absorbed in his son. The baby cried a little, scrunching up his eyes. His head was covered in velvety black hair and his skin was the same shade as his father's.

"He's beautiful, Bells." Jacob choked out. He was overwhelmed with happiness. He kissed the top of Bella's head as their eyes met and they silently congratulated themselves.

After a moment Sue gently took the new arrival from his proud parents so she could clean him up then weigh him. Jacob took this opportunity to slip out and tell the expectant grandfather's that their new grandson had finally arrived. While all this was going on Bella felt her eyes drooping. She was so tired. She fought to keep her eyelids open. Her head felt fuzzy and she had a strange sensation running through her abdomen. Bella suddenly groaned and then gasped loudly as she felt a sudden rush of liquid pour down her legs.

"Sue." She cried out desperately. "Something's wrong."

Sue was in the midst of weighing the new baby. She quickly put him down and rushed over to Bella's side. Alarmed by Bella's cries Jacob suddenly rushed back into the room, followed by Charlie and Billy.

"What's happening?" Jacob pleaded as he hunkered down by his wife's side and took her hand. Bella's face had a grey pallor to it. Her breathing hitched as she tried to draw in more air. Pain contorted her abdomen and she desperately tried to stay awake as she felt her exhaustion overwhelm her.

Sue gently parted Bella's legs again so she could get a better look. Her eyes widened when she saw the fresh blood pooling on the white sheets. She swallowed thickly. Surely Bella couldn't be haemorrhaging? She glanced up as Bella groaned again. Her pelvic floor muscles were clenching and she had a huge urge to bear down. Sue was just about to warn her to remain still when suddenly there was another gush of red liquid and to Sue's surprise another baby shot out and landed right in her hands.

"But that's impossible." Sue breathed as she stared at the tiny baby. It was clearly a girl, but she was so small, only half the size of her brother. The scans she had done on Bella had only shown one baby, not two.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked worriedly. He was still holding onto Bella, she was propped up against him, breathing heavily.

Sue choked down her panic and quickly cut the unexpected arrival free. The little girl wasn't crying, nor breathing. She glanced up to find Billy and Charlie staring at her. Sue hated the fact that she was the one who was going to have to tell the new parents that their second child hadn't survived. The little boy began to wail, only heightening Sue's own distress, as she stood up and cradled the baby girl in her arms. She looked so tiny and perfect, as if she was sleeping.

"You were carrying twins, Bella." Sue brought the tiny girl over to Bella and Jacob.

"How can that be?" Bella whispered tiredly.

"I don't know." Sue's lips trembled as she gazed down at the new parents. "Her brother was so big maybe she was behind him in the womb and we didn't see her."

"She's not crying. Why isn't she crying?" Bella demanded. She felt Jacob cradle her tightly as they stared at the small bundle in Sue's arms. Her fingers dug into his shirt as she tried to draw strength from him.

"I'm sorry, so sorry." Sue said sadly.

"No." Bella began to cry in distress. Charlie and Billy had tears in their own eyes as they gazed at their granddaughter sorrowfully.

"No, I won't accept this." Jacob interjected suddenly as he released his wife and reached out to take his daughter into his strong arms.

"Jake, please…." Sue begged.

Charlie went to his daughter's side and held her hand as he watched Jacob hold the tiny baby in his large hands. She was so small she couldn't have weighed more than two pounds. "Come on, little one. Breathe…." Jacob pleaded brokenly. "You can do it." He gently massaged her chest with gentle fingers as if trying to get her heart to beat. "Breathe, breathe…."

Bella gazed at him in anguish. Her heart felt cleaved in two. Though the son she had been expecting was thriving, the little girl who she hadn't known about was already gone. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. She closed her eyes and willed the little girl to breathe, just like Jacob. He had breathed life into her when he had rescued her all those years ago after her near fatal cliff dive. He could do it for their daughter…he could.

Everyone in the room was holding their breath. The only sound was the faint cries of the little newborn boy and eventually even he quietened down when Sue picked him up to soothe him. Jacob continued to beg his daughter to live as more seconds passed. Everyone was praying for a miracle.

 _Then…_.

A piercing wail rent the air making Bella's eyes shoot open. Her prayer died on her lips as her eyes met Jacob's. He nodded at her, his dark eyes gleaming with relief as he quickly sat next to his wife so she could see the little baby girl. Tears of joy were running unashamedly down Billy and Charlie's faces as they crowded around the new family. Sue gently passed Bella her son so that the new family were now a complete unit.

"My little Sarah." Bella cooed as she gazed at her beautiful babies. "My little Sarah and Finley." She passed her son to Jacob so he was cradling both the twins. "My little miracles."

"Miracles indeed." Jacob echoed her as he pressed a soft kiss in her hair.

 _ **A/N-thanks for reading!**_


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